Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bell's Amber Ale

I
poured a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. It was bottled on 9/24/12
making it six months and three days old by the time I drank it.

Appearance: Rusty orange/light brown hue. Sediment particles suspended
in the liquid unmoving - interesting to look at but I don’t think that’s
how it’s supposed to look. Forms a small, off-white, frothy head which
mostly dissipates but leaves lacing on the glass.

Taste: Maybe it’s not fair to review this beer considering how old the
bottle was by the time I got to it. But since it’s so rare I get to try a
Bell’s beer I’m not just going to drain pour it. And though the bottle
was indeed old I could find redeeming qualities in Bell’s Amber Ale.

It’s a pretty classic amber ale in every way. Lightly sweet notes of
honey, caramel and toasted bread. A general dry yeasty character
throughout the palate as well (is this bottle conditioned?). A strong
bitterness on the finish with a residual caramel flavor that lingers
briefly. There’s definite sourness in here as well, I’m sure due to the
age of the bottle. I can overlook it and tolerate it and still enjoy
this beer.

Drinkability: Though there’s some flaws to the palate, Bell’s Amber Ale
is still quite drinker-friendly. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a
fairly soft texture. A smooth finish with a slightly pasty aftertaste.
The weight is good at 5.8% ABV - nothing too strong, but no reason to
session it. I could see this being quite refreshing in the summer or
with the right meal.

63.3 - 3.5B-ABOVE AVERAGEThe lowest I can rate a beer and still honestly give it a thumbs up. The attributes are enough to overshadow the flaws. Nothing I'd jump for joy about, but a drinkable, satisfactory beer to be sure.

53.0 - 3.2C+AVERAGE/NEUTRALNot quite a good beer, not quite a bad beer. I don't have a strong opinion either way about it. There may be something to like here, but there's also something holding it back.

42.8 - 2.9CBELOW AVERAGEThe best of the worst. A beer with noticeable flaws and perhaps some minor attributes. Tolerable for a serving, but no reason to seek it out. A genuine thumbs down, but not something I despise.

32.6 - 2.7C-TOLERABLEWhile not the worst beer, there's probably nothing about it that I like. Plenty of off-putting features. I can tolerate a single serving, but would recommend avoiding it.